The Given Gift
by Spike's Lil Devil
Summary: After Buffy dies her ghost comes back to Sunnydale. B/S AU FIC This chapter: Buffy finds out why she's still here and leaves. *FINISHED*
1. The Visitors

                                                                        The Given Gift

Disclaimer: This is my only disclaimer for this fic so listen up. I don't own Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, or anything else mentioned in this fic. 

A/N: This contains spoilers for 'The Gift'. Please R + R.

            Spike walked into the funeral home. He saw the body of Buffy Summers, the Slayer, his Slayer.

"Why'd you have to jump love," he whispered, then he heard foot steps. "Bloody hell," he yelled. "Who is it?"

"Oh, Spike you're here too," whispered Angel."

"What are you doing here?"

"The same as all of her friends are doing."

"So we're both paying our respects to her."

"I thought you wanted her dead."

"Used to, now I just love her."

"Sorry Spike."

"So you came her for the funeral."

"Can't go. The whole daylight thing.

"Same here."

"Cordelia and Wesley came along for the funeral. I came for the viewing."

"Here Peaches."

"What is it?"

"It's a picture that the Lil Bit gave to me."

"Spike, I can't believe she's actually dead."

"I know what you mean."

            As the two vamps walked out there was a blonde girl standing next to the casket with green eyes that looked like the deceased girl in the casket with a voice that sounded like Buffy.

"Man, being dead really sucks."


	2. Being Dead Is The Pits

                                                                                                The Given Gift

"Spike and Angel left, I'm dead, I'm a ghost and to top it all off I'm going to be buried in the world's ugliest black dress. Now the heavens will open up on me… I said the heavens will open up on me. Oh well, Spike, Angel wait up.'

                Buffy started to run after Spike. She walked through the wall of Spike's crypt. She saw Spike sitting on his sarcophagus, drinking pig's blood, listening to the cd that Buffy and Dawn gave him for Christmas. Buffy decided to make herself visible. 

"Uh, hi Spike."

"Bloody hell, you're dead."

"That and a ghost."

"So let me guess, you came to haunt me for all of the innocent people I killed?"

"No, I don't know what I'm doing here. All I know is that I jumped off of Glory's tower Got out of, well, me and saw you mourning with the others."

"Well Pet, that's a new one."

"Don't tell anyone. Not even Dawn."

"That's just fine with me Pet."

"Could I have unfinished business?"

"Possibly. Can't be you being the Slayer."

"I know. Then there would be hundreds of other ghosts. I forgot to ask you to take care of Dawn if I died and I did."

"Would have anyways Pet."

"I was wrong. The hardest thing in the world isn't living in it; it's being a ghost in it."

"Don't worry love."

"Well the sun isn't coming up for a few hours so let's go out and stir up some mayhem."

"I'm really starting to like this new Buffy."

"Gee, thanks for not liking my former self."

"I still do Love."

"Spike, I'm sorry for being rude to you when I was alive."

"I still love you."

"I want to be with you forever."

"That's fine with me love."

"Spike, the fun, the mayhem, all of that's waiting for us," said Buffy as she slipped through the wall. Then she popped her head back through. "Come on."


	3. Going Home Again

                                                                                    The Given Gift

"Spike, I'm really starting to understand you."

"Uh, thanks Love. So what are we doing first?"

"I don't know. Let's just go around town."

            They were walking around the town when they walked past the Summers' house-hold. They started to slow down.

"Spike, let's go in."

"Love, it's probably locked."

            Buffy slipped her head through the door and looked at the lock.

"Spike, it's unlocked."

"The Witch isn't as cautious as she used to be."

"I guess Will's out of it."

            Spike opened the door and they walked upstairs and into Buffy's old bedroom. Buffy went into her closet and started to look through it.

"Aha, here it is."

"You found what you're looking for love."

"Yeah, this so cute black spaghetti strap mini dress, no whining over 'It's too bright', 'It's too colorful', or 'It's not appropriate to be buried in'. I want to be buried in something nice for all eternity."

"Love, you look good in almost anything. Especially in that."

"I need to check on Dawn."

"Don't worry Love. Go check on the Lil' Bit."

            Buffy walked down the hall into her little sister's room.

"Oh Dawn I'm so sorry I had to leave."

            Dawn started to wake up and she screamed and when she stopped she just whispered something.

"Oh my god, Buffy."


	4. Everybody Knows

                                                                        The Given Gift

"Buffy, you're alive," cried out Dawn with tears of joy welling up in her eyes. "Buffy I had a nightmare. You jumped off of Glory's tower to save the world and at the end you were dead." Then Dawn tried hugging her big sister but just went through her. "Buffy, there's something wrong. It's like you're here but you aren't." 

"Dawn the nightmare was real."

"Y you're dead and you're a ghost, aren't you?"

"Yes, And eventually I'll have to leave."

            Just then Willow walked into Dawn's bedroom and didn't realize her best friend's ghost was in the room.

"Dawn, you need to get to bed its 3:00 am, get some…," then she saw the one thing that was different, "Oh my god, Buffy."

"Hi Will."

"Willow, look Buffy came back for real."

"Buffy, how?"

"All I know is that I got out of my body after I jumped into the portal at Glory's tower."

"So you're a ghost?"

"Yeah."

"Do any of the others know?"

"Spike."

"You told Spike."

"Yeah, I went to him first."

"When?"

"Oh, half an hour ago."

"Okay, why were you out?"

"No reason. Listen, Spike's in my room waiting to get going."

            Buffy and Spike were still at the Summers' household once the sun came up. At about 9:00 am Xander and Anya came over. Xander and Willow started talking.

"Man Will, it's hard to believe we'll never see the Buffster again."

            Behind him Buffy was doing silly things, like sticking her hand in his head and that made Willow start cracking up and she couldn't keep her laughter in.

"Willow, I'm serious."

"Xand, look behind you."

            Xander turned around and saw Buffy sitting on the kitchen counter laughing.

"Xander, let me guess, 'Oh my god, Buffy, you're supposed to be dead,' right?"

"Yeah, you took the words out of my mouth."

"No questions Xand, I'll just tell you what happened," Buffy told Xander and Anya what had happened.

"So you're a ghost, I met one in the 1580's. I also helped to make them back when I was a demon."

"Well my only question is why are you a ghost?"

"What Spike, Willow, Tara, and I agree it's unfinished business."

"This is just too weird. My living friend is a witch and so is her girlfriend. One of the people that help us is a vamp that has a trip in his brain. My dead friend is a ghost and was the slayer. Her little sister is the key. My girlfriend is an ex-demon. My dead friend's ex-boyfriend is a souled-vampire. My ex-girlfriend has visions. Man my life is seriously weird."

            Dawn called out from the living room for them to come out.

"Someone please come help, I'm stuck between the sofa and the table."


	5. Lets Insult Riley

                                                                                    The Given Gift

A/N: This chapter is a Riley Basher. Thanx Brit, for all off the silly ideas.

"Willow, listen up the dress that you chose for me to be buried in is seriously. Even Spike looked like he was going to say it's ugly."

"Buffy, I didn't choose it."

"Then who did?"

"Dawn."

"You let Dawn choose my dress."

"Buffy, she was trying to find it but she couldn't find it."

"Okay."

"Oh yeah, Buffy don't forget the funeral is…"

"Tonight. You told me about 100 times. Man this sucks more than dating Riley."

"I thought you liked him."

"Used to, not anymore. He's uglier than… than Jonathan."

"Ooo, or Warren."

"Than the Master."

"Than the Judge."

"Than Adam."

"Than the Gentlemen."

"Than the Mayor."

"Than the Demon Mayor."

"Than Principal Snyder."

"Than Vamp X."

"Than Glory's Minions."

"Than Glory."

"Than the Zombies."

"Than Darryl."

"Will, I think we have created the best list ever."

"Unless you're Riley."

"Come on; let's go tell Spike about this list."


	6. The Funeral

                                                                        The Given Gift

A/N: Thanx for all of the good reviews.

            It was 7:00 pm. Buffy's funeral had just started. Buffy just couldn't believe that everyone was wearing black. Even her friends that knew she was back were in black. She decided to go invisible so the others couldn't see her. She decided to sit near Spike.

"They're still burying me in something ugly," mumbled Buffy.

            Spike made a small smile and chuckled. Buffy started listening to what all of her friends had to say about her. Willow said that she was always there for her friends. Xander said that she would be funny even if she didn't mean to be. Angel said she was a good person to talk to. After Anya, Tara, Dawn, Wesley, and Cordelia went Spike went up. He said that she was smart and witty, but the one thing that got Buffy's attention was when he said that meeting her was the best thing that ever happened to him. Giles was the last one that went up. Buffy smiled at what he said. He said that she had been like a daughter to him. Buffy thought really hard about not telling him. She couldn't though; it would hurt to say good-bye again. She did follow Giles house and made sure he was alright. Buffy went back to the Summers' house and saw all of the Scoobies that have ever been a Scoobie was there. All except for Giles and Faith. They were all sitting in the living room talking about Buffy, Sunnydale High, and just life in general in Sunnydale. They were just sitting there talking. Oz, Tara, Willow, Spike, Cordelia, Angel, Dawn, Anya, Xander, even Wesley. Buffy was as visible as if she was alive. None of them noticed her except for Willow, Dawn, and Tara. The three of them just smiled. Buffy sat on the couch and listened to what they were saying about her.

"She was pretty pitiful as a princess for Halloween that one time and I almost got her killed too," obviously Spike was talking about that awful Halloween three years ago.

"Okay I was pretty pitiful on Halloween, but I wasn't a princess, I was noble woman and I guess I shouldn't have done that for Halloween just to impress Angel because he liked me the way I am, or was."

            They all looked up and yelled out, "Buffy!?"

A/N2: I'm sorry for the short chapter but I don't like droning on about some thing.


	7. Spread The Word

                                                                                    The Given Gift

A/N: This is the second to last chapter. Please R + R.

"Hi guys, and yes I'm dead so don't freak out."

"Let me guess, you're a ghost. My house mate, Dennis, is a ghost and he's pretty cool."

"Why's he a ghost?"

"His mom hated his girl friend so she built a wall around him and he died in it."

"So is it unfinished business."

"Either that or the fact of his untimely death, or it could be a mix of the three."

            Angel, Oz, and Wesley were staring at Buffy. They were all thinking the same exact thing. None of them could believe that Buffy Summers, the Slayer, their friend, was a ghost. Cordelia was totally cool with it; she had no problem with it because she had been living with one for a while. Then Oz broke the silence.

"So what's it been like around here lately?"

"It was hard and hectic when Glory was around but now things are starting to slow down."

"Oz can I talk to you alone?" asked Willow.

"Sure," said Oz as the two walked into the kitchen.

            After the former couple walked into the kitchen the room was silent.

"Well we could do research on why you're a ghost," said Wesley. 

"That's one of the reasons I'm not telling Giles," yelled Buffy.

"So who's Glory," asked Angel.

"Glory was a hellgod that got exiled to our happy little hellmouth dimension."

"Oh, okay."

"Spike is good, Dawn's the Key, and to top it all off, Buffy's a ghost. Yeah I'm definitely back in good old Sunnydale," laughed Cordelia.

            15 minutes later Angel, Cordelia, and Wesley left for L. A. Oz and Willow were still talking, Tara was reading one of her books, Dawn was looking through her closet for an outfit to wear to school the next day, and Spike was talking with Buffy in Buffy's room.

"Spike, do you ever wonder what would have happened if you never met Drusilla?"

"Never thought about it Love."

""I'm so glad that I met you."

"I know what you mean."

            With that the looked at each other and then looked at the stars and the sliver of the moon hanging up like a blanket up in the sky.


	8. C Ya Around In The Afterlife

                                                                             The Given Gift

A/N: This is the last chapter. Yeah woo-hoo. For those for you that think this just doesn't seem finished you're right. I'm making a sequel called Returning. It'll be up quickly I promise. This is the reason Spring Break rocks.

A/N2: Any of these '' means thinking it. Now on with the story.

            Everyone in the Summers' household was asleep. All except for Buffy and Spike.

"Spike, there's bound to be something important that I didn't do. There just has to be."

"Maybe you didn't tell someone something, but don't worry your self about it right now Love."

'I know what it is but I don't want to leave you. I don't want to leave Dawn, Giles, or the Scoobies.'

            Buffy had a troubled look on her face and Spike noticed it too.

"Is there a problem Love?"

"No, of course there isn't."

"I can tell there's a problem Love. You have that look on your face." 

            Buffy just smiled and giggled.

"Nope, no problems here; just ghosty issues."

"Love, there's a problem. You have a thinking too hard look on your face."

"I do not."

"Yes you do."

            Buffy just rolled here eyes.

'What does he know? I shouldn't think too hard should I?'

            The next morning Spike and Buffy were talking about the night before. Dawn came down for breakfast and saw them talking.

"You two sure were up late. I heard you talking to each other."

"Dawn, don't you have school to get to?"

"I'm waiting for Xander to come to pick me up since Willow and Tara have a class right now."

"When should he get here?"

"In 10 minutes."

"Alright. He's going to get here soon."

            After Dawn left Spike and Buffy were all alone. The two of them gazed into each others eyes.

"Spike, what if I tell you that I think I've figured out what my unfinished business is?"

"Then I think you should tell me."

"I'll probably have to leave once I've told you because it has to do with you and me."

"Love you can tell me anything."

            With that Buffy kissed him.

"Spike I…I love you."

"Well I knew you'd come around."

"Spike, I mean it too."

************************************************************************************************************

            Buffy disappeared and found in a beautiful place that seemed so happy. She looked around and saw people, no make that angels, smiling, laughing, and talking. Then she saw two people that looked very familiar. Then she realized who they were. They were Kendra and her mom. Then her mom turned around and saw her.

"Hello honey."

"Mom, I've missed you so much."

"I know. I've seen you and I've missed you too."

"This is interesting," said Kendra. "I thought you wouldn't die for at least another year."

"I had to jump. It was either that, let Dawn die, or the end of the world."

"Okay," sighed Kendra.

            After that the three angels went off talking.

************************************************************************************************************

            Spike waited for Dawn to get home. Then at 3:00 Dawn got home from school.

"Hey Spike, where's Buffy?"

"We need to talk Nibblet."

"What is it Spike?"

"Nibblet, Buffy left."

"So she figured out what she didn't do?"

"Yes."

            The two of them sat down and started talking.

************************************************************************************************************

            The next day Willow and Giles were talking about what to do about where Dawn would end up living.

"Giles, maybe Tara and I could move in here so Dawn could stay here."

"That could work."

"I'd be happy to stay here."

            Then Dawn walked into the room.

"I wish Buffy's ghost was still," here pouted the 15 year old.

            Then Giles shouted, "What?"

                                                                                    Fin


End file.
